chronicles of an adventure seeker

Three Encounters

There are three encounters in particular that I’ve been thinking about lately and I wanted to share with you all.

Jan 2017

The first encounter being with my gyms personal trainer, Chris. When I explained to him I’d be leaving for India in a few weeks, and I was about to attend my last class, he was floored. His exact words were “Everyone at least once in their lifetime should do something like that, I just never got the chance.” I told him it’s never too late Chris, and that he did get a chance to change his life, when he decided to open up that gym and change his life and people’s lives through fitness! Class went on to being torturous, we had a burpee challenge… surprising I beat my PR from last Jan. Way to end it cur.

This encounter taught me you are never too old to dream another dream or to go after another goal.

My second encounter was at a bar, Clemson fans were in town for the Bama vs CLE game in Tampa. I was out with friends. My mutual friends mother and I got to chatting in a crowded bar – she said my journey seemed remarkable. I remember her saying “I once had a chance to take a domestic trip out west with friends before I settled down, and I didn’t take it, I played it safe, a few months later I was married, Oh and you know the rest.” She told me she didn’t regret any of it but she always wondered what it would have been like to be able to head out west before starting a family (which we all know is a huge adventure in itself). She was a beautiful woman inside and out, although she had flight delays all day, her spirit and sweet demeanor showed through, even in that crowded downtown bar.

I remember leaving the bar that night thinking my journey is great but so is hers. However, you may look at that.

My third encounter that I thought about recently was with my car insurance lady. This is what she wrote me after our meeting via email “You are truly adorable ! I will be following you on your blog !! if I wasn’t a single mom with 4 kids I would so be doing what you are doing ! LIVE LIFE .!! What an inspiration you are.”

As of yesterday I fully grasped that her dream, is so so rewarding, a woman who works hard, raised her kids right, notices the good in people and carries the weight of the world, like wings on her shoulder. Thanks Leann.

These encounters all have something in common because these three individuals told me I was an inspiration. Many people have told me over the years I am beyond brave to be travelling solo -to go places I have never been, to discover the unknown alone. I always tell them I am never truly alone, God is with me, even on the most lonely nights. People say “you have so much courage Kara.” I say it’s the people I meet that bring courage into my life. Truthfully I don’t see my journey as all that inspiring. Sure I’m following my dreams, which lie somewhere in-between sustainable tourism and adventure travel, but that’s as far as I am. I just make this stuff up as I go and have never considered myself as “beyond courageous.”

Now, a kid that studies hard, who comes from a poor background, and is the first one to graduate a university in his family…. that’s inspiring.

A sherpa who travels day and night with luggage on his back in order to feed his family for the week – that’s brave.

A young girl who keeps her youngest sister entertained only with a small doll for a few hours while her parents are working in the potato fields – that’s extraordinary.

These are the people I feel are inspiring, and I try to showcase citizens of the world being raw and real throughout my storytelling and website.

It’s never been about me. It’s always been about others, and I truly believe it’s the people you meet, and experiences you feel that make life worthwhile.

Thankful for every step of my journey that has lead me to today, these three encounters, and living with eyes wide open.